Hamadeh wins CD8 Republican primary
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Abe Hamadeh in 2022. Photo: Jon Cherry/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Abraham Hamadeh defeated Blake Masters in the West Valley-based 8th Congressional District Republican primary, the AP projected.
The big picture: Hamadeh had 29.8% of the votes cast as of Wednesday afternoon and Blake Masters was in second place with 25.3%.
Why it matters: CD8 is heavily Republican, so Hamadeh will likely prevail in the general election.
- He will face Democrat Gregory Whitten in November.
Zoom in: The CD8 Republican primary was an especially nasty race that saw Masters repeatedly attack Hamadeh with ads that highlighted his Muslim background.
The intrigue: Hamadeh and Masters both had former President Trump's endorsement in 2022, when they ran losing campaigns for attorney general and U.S. Senate, respectively.
- Last December, Trump gave his coveted endorsement to Hamadeh, who prominently featured it in his campaign.
- But several days before the election, Trump announced that both Hamadeh and Masters have his "complete and total endorsements."
- Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance endorsed Masters last year, long before he became Trump's running mate.
Between the lines: Masters and Vance both received substantial financial support in their 2022 Senate runs from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.
- Masters was chief operating officer of Thiel Capital and president of the nonprofit Thiel Foundation.
Catch up quick: The CD8 winner will replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko, a Republican who first won the seat in a 2018 special election.
- Lesko opted against seeking re-election, choosing instead to run for an open seat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.